Giving Fund returns for second year

By Chase Wright

Updated 4:36 pm, Wednesday, November 22, 2017

NORWALK — For the second year, The Norwalk Hour and Family & Children’s Agency are joining together to offer a chance for local families or groups to sponsor someone less fortunate for the holiday season.

Each Thursday from Thanksgiving to New Years, The Norwalk Hour will offer the Giving Fund, featuring local people who need a small money boost to buy presents, visit relatives or get a breather from a shaky financial outlook.

Each case includes an estimated dollar amount that would help the featured clients face everyday challenges like rent payments, child care costs and transportation. Every dollar donated to the Giving Fund goes directly to the clients in need. The families and individuals who benefit from the Giving Fund often don’t know they have been submitted, and aliases are used in the published stories to protect privacy and dignity.

The Norwalk Hour will publish new cases in print every Thursday, with a coupon for donations, and maintain a full list online. Donations can be made at www.unitedwaycfc.com/givingthehour.

Donate to The Giving Fund

200: Bernie is the only child of a single mom living in Norwalk. Bernie’s mom, Janet, periodically works as a housekeeper. Recently Janet had knee surgery, which affected her ability to go back to work. She is slowly recovering, but without work, household bills have begun to pile up. Janet and Bernie were forced to leave their home and move in with a family member until Janet can get back on her feet. A gift of $500 would help this family save for a security deposit on an affordable apartment.

201: Peter and Mary live locally with their three children, ages 4, 6 and 9. Recently, the family discovered that their home was infested with bedbugs. Due to the infestation, the family was forced to leave the home and throw away all of their mattresses and bedding. Currently in transition to new housing, a gift of $400 will help this family purchase mattress and bedding so that they do not have to sleep on palettes.

202: For seven months, Samantha and her 6-year-old daughter lived in transitional shelters or in the homes of friends and families. While sleeping on couches, before they had a home, Samantha created a tradition called the “snuggle couch.” Before bed on the “snuggle couch” is when Samantha and her daughter would read together, tell stories from their day and dream about their future home. Now that they have their home they don’t have much furniture or a “snuggle couch.” A donation of $350 would help her bring the “snuggle couch” tradition back in their own home.

203: Katie is a 17-year-old living with her mother, older brother and her mother’s steady boyfriend. Katie and her family are undocumented, and came to the U.S. when she was an infant. Katie moved to Norwalk last year and began to struggle with anxiety and depression about starting a new school and her future. Katie and her family were previously evicted from their apartment in Stamford due to frequent late rent. Katie’s mother attempts to work at a community center teaching art classes but only receives limited hours. Katie’s mother also speaks little English, causing her greater difficulty in navigating resources. The family has struggled to pay bills on time and has frequently lived without power. The family is in need of additional financial support and a gift of $325 would help to pay their past due electricity bills.

204: Crystal is a sophomore in high school who has a history of abuse and neglect from her biological mother, and has been sexual abused by a relative. Crystal has been removed from multiple homes, and now lives in Stratford with her eighth foster mother. Despite her traumatic past and current school struggles, Crystal has the desire and potential to excel in school with the support and the needed resources. A gift of $450 would allow Crystal to have a laptop of her own to do her academic work and be prepared for school.

205: Marsha is an 80-year-old woman living in senior housing in Fairfield County. Marsha suffers from several health issues including high blood pressure and spends most of her time home with her feet elevated. Marsha is in need of a new reclining chair as her current one is broken and barely operable. Marsha lived a very active lifestyle before her health issues significantly impacted her abilities. Being limited has been very difficult and having this new chair will lift her spirits. A gift of $300 will help purchase a new chair.

206: Jimena and her husband Gilberto recently arrived in the United States and are living in Norwalk with their three daughters. Jimena arrived in the country pregnant with a high risk pregnancy and gave birth five months ago to a baby girl who has medical problems for which she is being seen at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Since arriving, Gilberto and Jimena worked alternate shifts to be able to take care of their children; however, Gilberto lost his job for a period of time. Even though Gilberto is now working again, the period of unemployment led to the family falling behind with rent and their utilities are at risk of being disconnected for lack of payment. As gift of $300 would help to ensure that they maintain their utilities connected and a roof over their heads.

207: Eva and Jonas are young parents of a 15-month-old boy. Eva and Jonas were recently forced to move out of the room that they were renting from family members. Eva takes care of their baby while Jonas works long hours with little pay, to support the family. The young parents moved to a one-bedroom apartment to live independently and to offer their son a better environment and a bigger space to grow and explore. Unfortunately, they were only able to leave with their clothes and a few toys. Jonas was able to gather the money for the first month’s rent and deposit but the family would benefit greatly if they receive a gift of $300 to buy bedding and a mattress and basic needs and cleaning supplies.

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208: Sue is a single mother with two adopted teenagers. Her children mean everything to her and both boys struggle with severe mental health issues, which often affects Sue’s ability to consistently work. Over the years Sue has saved and set aside a “rainy day” for rent, and her savings have quickly dwindled and the family is now in jeopardy of losing their home. A gift of $500 would help Sue and her family remain in their home and allow her son to complete their specialized school programs.

209: Brian is a 68-year-old man who has been living in Bridgeport for almost a year after being homeless since 2015. Before moving to Bridgeport, Brian was at a local shelter where he worked very hard with the professionals helping him, in order to get out of homelessness and begin a new chapter in his life. Once Brian moved into his new apartment, he began suffering from anxiety and depression due to the living environment he was in. He became so afraid of being in his own home that he suffered Bell’s palsy, which hospitalized Brian for a period of time. Now, Brian is working with FCA to help him move back to Norwalk so that he can continue to stay out of homelessness. Brian’s goal is to be housed in a place that allows him to grow and become part of the community because he knows that being homeless is a very traumatic experience no one should ever go through. Brian would like a donation of $500 to make his new apartment comfortable for him with new furniture which will help Brian feel at ease in his own home.